LeonardoxKarai Drabble
by Scotia Daniel
Summary: Short one shots on the relationship between Karai and Leonardo. Based on the 2012 version of the franchise.
1. Hurt

Karai turned in her bed and glared at the window. The sun was rising and she should be sleeping. Fast asleep. And after the long night of being out with the Clan, she should be passing out and not bother waking up until after noon. And yet, there she was. Wide awake and very, very annoyed.

Karai turned over onto her other side and let out an agitated sigh. It had been like that for a few nights now. She had never had that problem before. Nothing ever bothered her to where she couldn't sleep. She was Karai, the cruel daughter of the Shredder, the fiercest and meanest ninja around. She could steal anything and not feel a single singe of remorse. She could scar you and honestly not care if she left you to bleed. That was how she was.

So why was she tossing and turning? Karai wanted to say she had no idea...but she did. As much as she rocked as a liar...she couldn't quite get the hang of lying to herself.

The image of a mutant ninja turtle in blue filled her mind. Even if she tried to blink it away, he'd still be there. If she closed her eyes, he was even more vivid. It drove her insane. She rubbed at her eyes and tried to think of something. Anything. But her mind wouldn't let her.

Karai picked up a pillow and chucked it at the wall, crossed her arms, and fell back onto her bed. She hated this. How could she lose sleep over a traitor like him? He hurt her, went behind her back. He broke his promise. How could he?

The young woman sighed and relaxed her body. She was a hypocrite. A big, fat hypocrite. How many times had she done that to him? Could she honestly blame him for this? He didn't know she was the Shredder's daughter, how would he have known when he attacked?

Karai turned once more and snuggled her cheek into her pillow. She overreacted badly this time. Leonardo had helped her and saved her life. He was just trying to protect his family just like she was trying to do the same for hers.

The ninja closed her eyes. He could easily have been in the room if she hadn't known better. She could easily see the shape of his face, the freckles on his skin, the greyish shade of blue his eyes were...

Her eyes snapped open and she clutched her head with an agitated groan. Great. She maybe sorta kinda fell for the enemy. But just a little bit. Father would not like that at all, not that she'd act on her feelings.

Karai searched her ceiling for answers as she thought about the ninja. He probably was into her. She could easily take advantage of that, but it'd take time. Did she even want to? She had made a huge deal about not wanting to be friends at all, why should she?

Because she was Karai. She's selfish and cruel and intelligent and could be your worse nightmare. She was unpredictable and what Karai wanted Karai got. And she wanted Leonardo to suffer and she wanted his heart. And she will get what she wanted. But maybe after the hurt she felt went away, first...

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**Reply to Reviews:**

**DarkSummerBrightWinter92: I'm glad! Funny thing is, when I first started writing stories for these two...I wasn't a huge fan. But after writing about them and watching more of the series...I fell in love!**

**Zannab0801: Yes it was! I'd imagine after everything and Karai is turning in for the day. **


	2. Get Up

Karia had him. Leonardo was cornered with no way out and she had him. This was going to be the end of him. The end of everything. Now she understood how her father felt all those years about Hamato Yoshi. She could feel the need to follow in her father's footsteps pulse through her veins.

He had no choice. It was either her...or the Kraang. She dodged what attacks she could and fought along side the aliens to hunt down the green teenagers she vowed to loathe, even if maybe deep down she didn't think they were that bad. But she was her father's daughter, and this had to be done.

A streak of green and blue dashed out of the corner of her eye and she grinned. Perfect. He was so obvious. That's what she loved and hated about him. It was like he wanted her to find him. Wanted to be killed...

Karai sprinted after him, taking the roof tops as her eyes darted here and there to find the teenager. She landed on a roof, certain he was there. She could sense him. Feel him...there were very few places to hide. He could run but he couldn't hide for long...

"Karai, look out!"

She heard the hum before she felt two strong arms and a solid body wrap her into an embrace. Karai was tackled by Leonardo to the ground and a flash of light filled her vision. A Kraang bot stood off to the side, it's gun aimed and seemed to stare with anticipation.

Karai sat up, feeling pain throb through her limbs. She wanted to move, but something was preventing her from doing so. She rubbed at her eyes and gazed down at the rest of her body in shocked silence.

Leonardo was strewn across her lap, his body guarding her. He was limp and his weight crushed the lower parts of her body. She felt agitation and confusion boil within her.

"Leo, get off of me!"

She nudged him but he didn't move. Karai felt something warm on her hand and she pulled it back to see the dark crimson blood on her fingers in the moonlight. The Kraang bot lowered it's gun, turned, and left.

Wait...that couldn't be happening. Shouldn't be. She had him. He was hers. He'll be alive, and she'll end him. That's what she's supposed to do. That was her job...

"L-Leo?"

She nudged him again. Nothing. She shakily was able to wiggle out from underneath him and sat by his side. The mutant didn't budge. He didn't stir or fidget or anything. Nothing to indicate that he was well.

"L-leo...get up. You can stop pretending now. The Kraang's gone. You're fine. Get up."

Nothing. She checked his pulse and leaned down to see if she could catch his breath against her skin. Nothing. No thumping of a heart beat, no breeze of a breath. Just a teenager that could have been a life size doll for all she knew.

"Leo, get up. Come on, you have to get up. I'm the one who's supposed to kill you, remember?"

Karai watched as blood slowly began to seep from the ninja. She turned him over to see the giant gap in his upper plastron. The wound was deep and glistened in the light the moon gave off. Normally she could handle any gruesome sight, but the fact that it came from Leonardo made her queasy.

She quickly tore off some cloth from her armor and pressed it against his chest, knowing it was futile. That anything she did wouldn't matter. But yet...she tried. She had to. This wasn't supposed to happen...well she was going to kill him. No...she just wanted to mess with him. Not have him dead. She could be a murderer but she just couldn't kill Leonardo, even if she wanted to.

Blood soaked the cloth and soon her hands. A drop of water landed on his plastron and Karai felt shocked. She's...crying? She was Karai. Karai never cried. Never shed a tear. But there they were, trailing down her face like there was no tomorrow.

"Please get up, Leo...get up...you have to..."

She repeated her words, trying to pray his life back into his body. He had saved her once again, even though he knew she wanted to hurt him. Saved her even though he didn't have to...

"Get up, Leo...please...for me? Get up..." She couldn't find the will to leave. The will to get up. She sat there, whispered with only the night sky as her witness to the sound of her broken heart. "Get up...get up..."

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**Replies to Reviews:**

**DarkSummerBrightWinter92: I know! Karai needs him, even if she can't admit it. :(**

**Zannab0801: She so does. Karai could be ready to strike to kill...but couldn't. Even if she wanted to.**


	3. Vulnerable

Karai was as tough and cold as the armor she wore. Thick and unbendable, Leonardo couldn't help but wonder what she'd be like if she let down her guard. Took off the armor she built for herself...

And the funny thing is, with time, Karai seemed to let him. It was a hard process...and a long one at that. But the wait and effort was worth it. He took off her gloves and felt her hands against his own. They were so small...so soft and fragile...if he looked at them for too long, she'd yank them away and hide them. But it was a start.

Next came the boots. Her feet were so small compared to his. And girly, which he wasn't expecting. Her nails had been painted shades of blue that made her cross her arms and scoff at his smirk. He bet the bottoms of them were rough and calloused from years of martial arts training. Yet, they were smooth on the top and well taken care of. They were so much better being out in the open than hiding in the uniform she wore.

After that came the breast plate. It was...odd seeing her without it. Just clothed in the black body suit she wore underneath the bulk of the armor. He was so used to seeing her ready for battle that it almost came a shock to him to see her like that. She looked almost...normal.

It had been hard for Karai to let her guard down enough to take that off. The rest of the armor had be ditched while she was with him. Nothing to fully protect her but the black cloth. It made shivers go up and down Leonardo's spine thinking about how he could easily hurt her if he wanted to. Take his katana and just slice it in her...but he wouldn't dare.

Often, Karai would cross her arms and turn away from him like that. Despite that she was able to take the armor off, she still found it hard to be vulnerable. Leonardo didn't mind. She had all the time in the world to be able to feel safe with him if she needed it. He gave her the respect and space she needed to learn to let her guard down around the man she had once hated when they were teenagers.

When enough time passed, Leo knew he could do one last thing to gain all of Karai's trust. He found her in their room, reading some Japanese magazine. He closed the door and she glanced up at him.

"What is it, Leo?"

Leo walked over to her and bent down. He sighed, undid his mask and let if fall. Karai stared in shock. He took her hand and placed it on his face, closing his eyes. He let the shock of it all sink in and she began to roam her fingers around his eyes and on the skin between. Her hands dropped and Leo waited.

"Leo, open your eyes."

Leonardo did as he was told and his mouth dropped open. Karai had her back towards him as she undid the zipper on her back. She let the body suit slowly slide off of her to reveal her pale skin.

The ninja couldn't help but stare. She was as bare as the day she was born and he nearly choked on how beautiful she was. She slowly turned and their eyes connected.

"Karai, I-"

She closed the space and pulled him into her arms. He held her, feeling his heart thump in his chest. It had taken so long and with much struggle...but Leo felt tears in his eyes knowing she now was able to be fully vulnerable to him in every single way. She had his trust and he had hers. He had all of her, and there was nothing that could change that.


	4. Harmony

Honestly, Leonardo had thought that he and Karai as a couple would never prosper. Even if they were to get together, it probably wouldn't have worked out. She was everything he wasn't: negative, cold hearted, self centered...they were as different as night and day.

But now that years had flown by and they had married and had had a small family together...he supposed that maybe he was wrong. Then again, even if they were complete opposites, the completed each other in a sense. Where she was cold hearted, he would remind her to be compassionate and kind, even if it didn't last long. And where he was responsible and serious, she reminded him to laugh and live a little, even if it were irresponsibly. She taught him that he could still be a mature adult and have some immature fun now and then. It was what being human was all about: making mistakes and learning from them.

When the years had begun to race by, Leonardo had been shocked by how strong they had stayed together as a couple. They had their ups and downs...but in the end, they came home and were as deeply in love as they had been as teenagers.

In the end, they really did balance each other out. She was his dark side as to where he was her light. Like yin-yang, in a way. Where he was mainly good, he had that small dark spot that ached to cross the line between responsibility and rebellion while she was mainly bad with a small light spot that could sit down and be civilized and mature that was needed to be a good wife and parent to their daughter.

Without each other, they could prosper, but it wouldn't be the same without one another. And that's how Leonardo liked it. And, to be honest, he couldn't imagine life without her. She was his other half, the half he couldn't afford to lose...and he was the same for her, even if maybe she didn't admit it as much as he'd like. But in the end, she was his and he was hers, and they would continue to balance each other through life in perfect harmony.

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**Reply to Reviews:**

**Zannab0801: Thank you so very much! You are too kind!**


	5. Sunset

The sun tickled Leonardo's skin and the old mutant sighed as the sun began to set over the ocean. It couldn't be more of a perfect day. The sea was still, the day not too cold and not too warm...

The mutant gazed down at the small hand in his. Karai continued to walk on, a smile on her wrinkled face. The woman's long hair flowed in the breeze and resembled a waterfall that caught the reflection of the sun's light.

When he and Karai had both retired in their fifties, they agreed to spend the rest of their lives in an isolated home on the beach. Honestly, he didn't miss the city. It was fun while he was young, but now that he was a turtle in his sixties, he wanted something less noisy. Something less packed and stuffy. So when Karai suggested a private beach home, he couldn't complain.

The sun touched the water and seemed to glow brighter. Karai stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at the natural wonder. Her red make up glistened in the warm light and Leonardo felt his wrinkled face soften with a smile as he gazed at the woman who had stayed beside him for all those years.

"It's beautiful."

"Compared to you, it's okay."

Karai turned to Leonardo who proceeded to take her other hand in his. He could feel the dark robe he wore tickle his skin from a sea breeze. The woman in front of him gazed up at Leonardo with so much softness in her eyes, it made the mutant's heart flutter. It was hard to believe that once upon a time ago, Karai's eyes had been piercing and cold. Oh, how times have changed...

They made it their goal to take a walk on the sand every day as the sun set and rose. There was something about welcoming and ending the day with the person you love that made Leonardo feel comfortable content in his heart. He looked forward to these walks every time he woke up and went to bed. It was something that fueled his simple days and made hers that much more special. It was funny how, despite their age, they still had the spark that they had since they were teenagers.

Leonardo searched Karai's eyes as the sun dipped behind the water and disappeared in burst of pinks, purples and blues. The warmth disappeared and they were left in the cold night air, the stars beginning to twinkle awake above them. Soon, they would head home. And come morning, they would rise and welcome in the sun with the dawn of a new day. Leonardo knew that there was nothing that would stop him from going on those walks. He would continue to be side by side with Karai, basking in love for one another and the life they had lived together until the day comes where one of them would be forced to walk alone.


	6. Messages

Leonardo felt his muscles twitch from exhaustion, his limbs screaming for a break. The apartment came into view and he smiled. Coming to the window, he slipped in and stood in the center of a living room.

He glanced down the hallway where he knew a master bedroom would be. He could imagine the sleeping form of Karai, her hair fluffed from sleeping without him while he was on patrol.

Leonardo smiled but couldn't bring himself to move. He sighed and placed his belt and weaponry onto a hanger. He frowned and sighed. This always happened to him. Every night, he'd come home and feel as though he was forgetting something. Anything.

The mutant turned and eyed the hallway, knowing that his and Karai's bed was calling to him. His eyes drooped at the thought, wanting more than ever to go to bed and sleep the rest of the night away, tucked up in his sheets and curled up to his girl.

He began to take walk towards the hallway when something yellow caught his eye. He turned and glanced at the object. It was a sticky note. Leonardo smiled.

'Did you clean your feet before you came in?'

The words were written in scruffy handwriting. He could pick out Karai's handwriting in a crowd any old day. He glanced down at his feet and sighed in relief. They were clean. Sometimes he'd track mud without realizing it and Karai had grown tired of having to get the mess cleaned up each time. He took down the note and continued to walk deeper into the apartment.

Leonardo glanced at a picture and stopped. Another sticky note. He smiled and took it off of its place on Karai's face.

'Did you drop off the package to Donnie and April?'

Leonardo tensed up but sighed at the memory of leaving a package off at his brother and sister-in-law's house. He had nearly forgotten to do it, but the small item in his belt reminded him gently on his way home.

He continued down the hall and passed the bathroom. There was a note on the door. He stopped and took it off, looking over the hard to read note:

'Be sure to call Donnie about fixing the leak in the shower tomorrow. The dripping noise is driving me crazy!'

Leo kept the note there, tired. It wasn't that Leonardo was forgetful, but ever since he retired from being the leader of his brothers, things often...slipped his mind. When Karai had realized it, she turned to writing notes for him. He knew she hated it, and he told her to stop if it was something she disliked, but she continued anyways. He loved how she cared that much about him.

The mutant finally reached the door to his and Karai's bedroom. He wanted to roll his eyes when he saw another note was on the door. He took it into his hand but smiled warmly at the writing:

'Remember to give me a goodnight kiss?'

He let the note drop and slowly opened the door. Karai was fast asleep in the bed, her mouth slightly open and looked as calm as she could be. Leonardo closed the door behind him and crawled into bed, careful not to wake his girl up.

Leonardo gently pressed a kiss to her forehead and wrapped his arm around her. He appreciated the things she did for him, the subtle signs that showed she cared and loved him despite his forgetfulness.

The woman in his arms sighed and he smiled. Leonardo leaned over to the notepad on her side of the bed and a pen and carefully scribbled a message. He placed it on the alarm clock, the first place she reached for and looked at first thing in the morning. He brought her back into his arms and happily glanced at the note. He closed his eyes, his message to her still etched behind his eyes:

'I love you.'


	7. Windchimes

The sound of faint bells in the distance lulled Leonardo back to life. The feeling of soft sheets against his skin tickled his senses and when he inhaled, the smell of lavender filled his nose.

The mutant cracked an eye, allowing the morning light in. The wide window the bed was pushed up against peered up at the morning sky, the colours premature with beautiful mixes of different shades of purples, pinks, and gold.

The bells outside tinkled again. He eyed the windchimes he and Karai had hung outside their apartment's window with content, the object reflecting the beautiful colours the sky gave off in the morning light.

The sun in the sky was young and barely peeked over the burning skyline hidden by the metal bodies of the skyscrapers that jetted out from the Earth's surface.

Although they had lived in that apartment for a few years, it never got old for Leonardo to wake up to such a gorgeous sight. They had gone without shades as to bring the natural light in to brighten up their bedroom during the day and welcomed what they could of the stars at night.

Leonardo dragged his eyes down more to where Karai rested in his arms. She felt soft against his skin and her pixie cut hair stuck out here and there. She silently sighed in her sleep. The mutant smiled and leaned in to place a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

If he had known this was how he would be living years before, he would have left the lair sooner. The apartment was cozy and one of the newer homes built in the city. With the money Karai inherited from her father, they were able to settle down with ease, having more than enough space and comfort for not just them but the family when they visited.

Leonardo gently wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against hers, loving how solid but soft she felt. He looked forward to waking up like this, feeling content with the woman he loved before the rest of the world could wake up and disturb those moments he was able to have with her.

The soft bell noise came again and Leonardo sighed. He closed his eyes and listened to the chimes as the soft singing of birds began to wake up. He could feel the warmth of the sun as it came closer to peering fully through the buildings and onto his skin.

Soon Karai would have to wake up and go off to work at her dojo. Soon he would be alone to maybe visit his family back in the sewers or the farm house Donatello and April now lived, watch Space Heroes, or work on the stories he had been trying to write. But right then, the world was still dead to him and he had his morning moment to bask in the warm, fuzzy feeling it brought.

Leonardo tugged the sheets over him and Karai a bit more and willed himself to try to get more sleep. A soft smile was on his lips. He pitied those who struggled to find happiness in so much the world gives when, for him, all he needed to be truly at bliss was his girl, a soft bed, gorgeous mornings, and windchimes.


End file.
